Side Window
by BurningPaperMountains
Summary: Percy Jackson has a horrible life. His step father abuses him, and his mother does nothing. The only thing he can look forward to is a certain blonde, who happens to live next door. PJO AU. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

Hello fellow writers. I will be trying to write multiple stories at the same time, so the gaps in between each posting might be a tad long. Sorry. I hope you enjoy, though. All rights go to Rick, of course.

The Side Window

Chapter 1: Does She See?

Percy's POV

I had finally returned. Sure, it's not exactly the way I wanted to, but at least I was back. Looking around, you wouldn't know why I was so excited. The room was a mess. That's what happens when my step-father took over his room. Beer cans suddenly found their home in the man's new-found "study". Mud was caked on the floorboards, and a particularly sticky magazine was on his desk. I still don't understand why my mother put up with that guy. All this started to fade, however, when I looked to my window.

The window was within stepping distance of the house's next door, so it was great when I found that the room across from him was another kid my age. She was in her room when I walked in mine. She smiled, and my heart rate raced. She was seriously the best thing. Her blonde hair swirled down her face, and her smile would illuminate the room. Looking into her eyes was like looking into the eye of a storm, beautiful, yet intimidating. Not only was she stunningly beautiful, she was also the most intelligent people I knew. I consider myself pretty smart, even with my ADHD and dyslexia, but she blew my mind. We used to sit up all night just talking. It wasn't always smart stuff either. We just talked sometimes. She was wonderful.

She turned down her music and ran to the window. "Percy!" "Hey, Annabeth," "Why are you home so early?" "I was 'disrupting the classes' again." "They kicked you out?" "Yeah," "That sucks." "Tell me about it." "Hey, they don't know what they're losing." "Thanks Annabeth." "Why don't you just go to my school?" "Isn't it really expensive?" "Couldn't your mom pay it? It specializes in ADHD and dyslexia." I always forgot that she was ADHD and dyslexic too. She was so smart; it felt odd that she had them. "She doesn't have the money." "How about your dad-" "He's my step-dad" "Well, how about him. He owns a store. He should have the money." "Even if he didn't waste it all on booze and gambling, he wouldn't give any to me." "Your mom could make him." "She wouldn't, though. She's too nice." "There's no such thing as too nice." "There is when you're married to Gabe Ugliano."

Speak of the devil. He came in almost as soon as I said that hideous name. As soon he walked in, I could smell the alcohol. He was smashed. "Percy Jackson, the prodigal son, returned at last." He's a sarcastic son-of-a-bitch, I'll give him that. "What do you want, Gabe?" "I heard you got kicked out of another- wait a second. Who's this?" "That's Annabeth, Annabeth Chase. She's lived there since we moved here." "Well maybe, Ms. Chase, you should butt out of our little _conversation._" She looked at me, obviously worried "Percy-" "No. Do as he says. We'll talk later." I gave her a brave little smile. She was a bit hesitant. "Ok, Percy. I'll talk to you later." She closed her window and closed her blinds. "Now then," Gabe said. I was choking on the smell of beer on his breath. This was going to hurt. "Now that we're alone, let's continue where we left off, shall we?"

Annabeth's POV:

I shouldn't have left him. I should have known that something was gonna happen. Percy had been my best friend since he moved next door. That was when we were about 6. In the ten years he's lived there, I've noticed some things. First of all, Gabe was a brute. He was even worse when he was drunk, which was normally. Second, Percy was very good-natured, but his ADHD and dyslexia made it impossible for him to succeed in the schools he was sent to. He was kicked out within a year, every time. Third, his mother was always working, which means Gabe could do whatever he wanted to poor Percy. The only way his mother could stop it was sending Percy away to boarding school. I don't think Percy realizes that. He just sees that Gabe beats the shit out of him and his mother sends him away from her. His father died, or as he says was "lost at sea", soon after he was born. Basically, his life was absolute hell.

Naturally, I was worried for him. This time, though, I needed to know what happened. So, as soon as I closed my blinds, I peeked through them. The music that I had turned down was now turned off completely. I couldn't make out completely what was said, but I picked up on the general idea. Basically, Gabe started screaming at Percy about "wasting his money" by getting kicked out of school again. He then went on and basically pointed out every flaw Percy could ever have. Every now and then Percy piped up with some come back. Gabe slowly back Percy up against his wall.

"No place to run now, huh Percy?" With that, I had to stop looking. I couldn't bring myself to watch this. I did catch the first hit. Percy went down, but Gabe dragged him up and yelled at him to "take it like a man." The sound of the blows echoed through my room. I flinched with each one. I couldn't take it anymore. I curled up in my bed and turned back on the music. I don't know how loud it ended up going, but it did drown out the sounds of next door. Even Percy's screams faded out eventually.

To be continued...

Please take the time to review this. It means a lot when someone can help out. I will continue this, it might take a few weeks though. Sorry. Make good choices! Peace!


	2. Chapter 2- Washing Up

Hello fellow citizens of the internet. This story seemed to take off, so I decided to rearrange my priorities and get a new chapter out quickly. Keep those reviews coming, because they really do help. All rights go to Rick Riordan (the man, the myth, the legend).

The Side Window

Chapter 2: Washing Up

Percy's POV:

I really hope she didn't see that. It was probably the worst thrashing I'd taken in a while. In fact, when I got up (after about ten minutes) and looked in the mirror, I couldn't even see my face under all the blood and tears. My hands flinched when the cold water hit them. Nobody was gonna see what that guy did to me, not even Annabeth. My face didn't look much better without the blood. It was swollen to the point of looking like a watermelon. There were a few gashes across my cheek and chin. Those might scar. Yep, this was the worst it's ever been. My usual makeup won't fix this.

Ice packs are miracle workers. The swelling went down, slowly but surely. They might take all night to go away fully, but I stopped after about an hour. The makeup would cover it up for tonight. Gabe walked in as I was putting it on, and laughed at me. "What a girl." He said and gave a few whistles. I wanted to deck the guy, but that wouldn't exactly help the situation. I finished after about five minutes. That's a new record for me. After all these years, I could do this professionally. I looked in the mirror and forced a smile onto my face. She wasn't going to see the pain. I was ready.

I went back into my room and closed the door. There would be no more distractions. I opened my window and reached out to her window. I barely had time to knock once. The window flew open. There she was. Her head turned, as if to ask how I looked like I did. That was a kind of double-edged sword. It meant that the makeup did its job, but she already knew what happened. Her eyes were puffy. She was wearing no makeup. Yet, she was the most beautiful thing on the earth. If I wasn't sure before, I was now. I was absolutely in love with her.

"What happened?" she asked. "Nothing" I lied. I did a lot of that. "Don't lie to me." Shit. My hands slipped into my pockets and my eyes wandered away. "Percy," she said, "you can tell me." A sad smile crept across my face. "You don't want to know." "Yes I do." "I think you already know." "Percy," she said, looking like she was on the verge of tears, "please tell me I'm wrong." A lump formed in my throat. "Don't tell anybody." "Oh my god! Percy, how can I just stay silent?" "Please! I-" I stopped myself. I almost told her how I felt. I almost told her why I couldn't stand leaving home every school year; why I couldn't possibly get taken away now; why I haven't ran away yet. It was all her. I took a breath. "Just don't tell anyone." "Percy," My hands clenched when she continued. Could she just stop? "I need to tell-" I couldn't take it. "Annabeth," I yelled. She was taken back. Oh god. I just about whispered "I'm sorry." My heartbeat seemed to stop. "I'm so sorry." I think this hurt more than the beating I just got.

Her gaze slowly scrolled up until it met mine. I could see the conflict of emotions in her eyes. Her pupils began to grow, and she looked away. "Let's go up to the roof." she said as her eyes went back to me. "I'll bring the coke." I really hoped she meant the soda, because a coke would be awesome right about now. I crawled up to my roof and she went inside. After waiting a few seconds (which felt like an eternity) she came back with a twelve pack of cherry coke. She was amazing.

We sat on that roof and talked for hours. It felt like old times. I laughed a lot, which was great. I don't know why I looked, but my eyes glazed over my watch. "Aw man. It's past midnight." "Oh... Crap… Sorry." Maybe I should explain. My mom got home from work at twelve thirty. Gabe has told me so many times that if I'm still up when she gets home, he would… well we had already seen how drunk he was tonight. "Goodnight Percy." I smiled. Then I thought of something. "Wait. Remember when you ran away." "Percy, you have to go to sleep. Why are you asking me this now?" "Just answer me. Do you remember?" "Of course I do. That's when I met Thalia… and Luke." I almost forgot about Luke. Luke was Annabeth's boyfriend. That sentence felt like every scar Gabe had given me had opened back up. "Um, never mind." "Percy, what did you want to ask?" I started to rub my neck. "Why did you come back?" She laughed and scratched the back of her head. She looked at me with those stormy eyes. "Does it really need to be said?" She crawled back into her window. "Goodnight Percy." She said with a smile as she closed her window. "Goodnight Annabeth." I said before the window closed. I went inside and closed my own window. I looked over and whispered to myself "and I love you."

To be continued...

I hope you enjoyed it. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get the next one out as fast, but I will do my best. Thank you for the reviews. Make good choices while I'm gone. Peace!


	3. Chapter 3- Shame

Hello peoples! I'm back! I know it took me a while to get this up (compared to the first update) but it's been kind of busy lately. All rights go to Rick. Enjoy!

The Side Window

Chapter 3: Shame

Percy's POV:

I needed to talk with my mom. She had to see that Annabeth's school would help. It would be the best for me. First, though, I had to get Annabeth to help. My mom wouldn't go with it unless I had help, and Annabeth is the obvious person to turn to. She goes to the school, and she is the smartest person ever. If Annabeth couldn't convince my mom, then nobody could. All this flashed through my mind as I got ready the next day. The ice helped a lot, though I woke up freezing. The ice was almost melted when I woke up. I went to the mirror, and saw the new scar on my cheek. That's just great.

I staggered to the shower. Man, I was sore. Hot water cascaded down my body, and I think I stood there for a good ten minutes before actually doing anything. As I washed my hair, the water started to turn red. "Lovely," I muttered. The water helped a lot. I guess it's kinda sad that I think of water as a friend sometimes. Though, it's a better one then some of my other "friends" from school. It's always there, you know? Sorta like Annabeth.

After I finished getting ready, I went straight to the door. A mass of fat, stink, and abuse stood in my way. "Where do you think you're going?" Gabe asked. "I'm _going_ to see Annabeth." I said, balling my hands into fists. "Get out of my way." He stepped aside, laughing. "She your new girlfriend, Prissy?" My entire face turned a bright red. My hands were curled so tight, they turned white. His hands slipped into his pockets, hooking his fingers on the top of them, as he laughed. "As if she would be into a little bitch like you," He slammed the door, laughing. I felt red-hot tears streaming down my face. No, she wasn't going to see me cry. I wiped the tears away as I walked next door.

Annabeth's POV:

I was sitting in my room when I heard a knock at our door. My dad opened the door, and called up to me. "Annabeth, Percy's at the door!" I ran down the stairs. Even though we spent last night talking, I was still extremely excited to see him. "Why is Percy here so early?" my dad asked, pretty innocently. Percy looked down and stuck his hands in his pockets. His eyes seemed rather red and moist. Was he crying earlier? "Dad, I'll tell you later." He really wasn't trying to hurt Percy, but he was totally clueless. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Maybe that's why Percy was so miserable.

We went up to my room, and he immediately started talking. "Annabeth, you need to help." He said. "I told you last night I wanted to help." "No, not about that," Percy said, as he started pacing. Now I was confused. "What are you talking about?" "I need to convince my mom to let me go to your school next year." "Ok… I'm not really seeing where I come in here." "She won't listen to just me. You're the smartest person I know. Help me." Was he serious? "Have you tried asking her?" "No, but I know her. She'll need to have some serious convincing." He shot me the most adorable puppy-dog face. The watery eyes sold it. I had to help him. "Ok. I'll help you." His face lit up. I found myself staring at him. "Stop it, Annabeth. You have a boyfriend." I thought.

My eyes darted from his face, but not before I noticed something that I had never seen before. "Is that a scar?" His smile was gone. He looked like a deer in headlights. He scratched the back of his head. "No. What are you talking about?" He was speeding through, trying his hardest to change the subject. I knew he was lying, but I just went with it. "Oh, never mind." I said; with a fake laugh "It was just the light, I guess." His mouth twitched into a quick smile, still a little shaken.

If you hadn't noticed, I read people really well. Body language is easy for me. For example, I can tell Percy likes me. He finds himself focusing on me all the time. His pupils dilate when he looks at me. Ironically, written language is impossible. I hate my damn dyslexia. Ok, sorry. That was really off topic. I guess that's the ADHD. It's just great being me. Percy has it worse, though.

Percy's POV:

I had done it. She's gonna help! It took all my control not to jump out of the room. My mom had to listen to Annabeth. "Let's go then." I said. She smiled and said "I'll race you there." "Oh, you're on!" We raced back to my house. It was only a few seconds, but it made me happy, so it was amazing. I got there a fraction of a second before her. We both laughed. That is, until Gabe opened the door. "You're back already? Did you miss me?" His smile was sickening.

I gave a painful smile, looked down, and tried to walk past with Annabeth. "She's not coming in." My eyes shot up. He was not going to do this right now. "Gabe. Please just let us through." I did my best to keep my cool. "Nope," he said. He was enjoying this. Annabeth could see how angry I was getting. She spoke up, mostly to save my butt. "Mr. Ugliano, please let us through." He shot her a smile. "Ok, I'll let you in." he said in the most seductive way he could (which wasn't enough to seduce a whore). "But, maybe you could do something for me." She rolled her eyes and walked by him. What a creep.

My mother was still in bed when we went in. I knocked on her door, startling her. Oh well, she was awake. "Mom, can we talk to you?" She looked week. "Sure Percy." She gave a weak smile. That was a smile that I was all too well. I wasn't gonna let that stop me. "Mom, I want to talk about next year." She crossed her arms. "Yancy is obviously not a choice anymore." I looked down. "Yeah," I said, "Sorry about that. But I know of a school that will help." Annabeth took this opportunity to chime in. "Yeah. It's my school. It might be a bit expensive, but-" "Is it a boarding school?" She asked.

Annabeth took a breath. "No, it's not." "Then Percy won't be going." I stared at her. She was just gonna blow it off. "Mom, it'll help me." "Percy, I'm not going to enroll you in a non-boarding school." "Why?" "I don't need a reason." "Mom! Do you really hate me that much? You just send me away every damn year." She looked at me like I had just stabbed her. Annabeth gave me a look too, but more of a painful, knowing look, as if she knew why she did it. I guess I do know why she sends me away. She wants to protect me from Gabe. I still hate it. I can handle myself.

"Percy, do you really want to go to this school? There are other schools I can send you to." I looked at Annabeth. I stared at her, thinking about what my mom said. There were defiantly other schools out there. There was only one Annabeth, though, and she was worth anything Gabe could do. I took a breath. "I do." She looked down. "Ok Percy, you can go." No other five words can give someone as much joy, or in my mom's case, sorrow. I almost felt sorry. Then I looked at Annabeth, and she looked at me. Smiles spread across our face. "Thank you, mom." I said. Annabeth and I ran outside. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, "let's introduce you to your new class mates." "Why do you call me that?" "I don't really know," she said, "I guess it just fits." She laughed. It took me a few seconds, but I soon realized what she had said. "Hey. Are you calling me stupid?" She smiled, and then put on an innocent face, "I don't know what you mean." She started running toward town. I followed her, knowing that this year was going to be amazing.

To be continued..

Next time I'm gonna introduce quite a few characters (yey). I hop you enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time. Make good choices. Peace out!


	4. Chapter 4- Party Down

Hello all. As a response to a few reviews, I'm updating as fast as possible. School might delay that, but I'm trying. I hope you all enjoy. All rights go to Rick.

The Side Window

Chapter 4: Party Down

Percy's POV:

I had no idea where we were going. She said something about my new classmates. "Where are we going?" I asked her. "It's a surprise, Seaweed Brain." She said, not breaking her stride. She could run, and I mean fast. I was a bit out of shape. Just imagine how it went. "Can we stop running for a second?" I yelled. I didn't wait for an answer. I was panting. "Wow, Percy, you have no stamina." "Sorry, I don't work out at all." That actually wasn't my choice. Gabe never let me work out. I guess it gave him more of an advantage when I couldn't fight back.

We started walking, which was fine with me. "How far is this surprise?" "It's not very far." Well, that was descriptive. She was one of those people who say "not very far," and it could mean five seconds. It could also mean three hours. Luckily, it was more like five minutes walking there. It just so happens that "there" was a warehouse in the middle of Manhattan. "They're all inside." "Who's inside?" She turned and smiled. "The best people you will ever meet."

I walked into the warehouse, unsure what to think. Suddenly, I was stopped by a boy with shaggy black hair. He looked about fourteen, but his eyes said that he'd been through a lot. "This is a student-only party. I definitely have never seen you around." I was a little confused. "I- uh-" Annabeth came in to save my butt (again). "He's with me Nico. Let him through." "I've got my orders Annabeth. I wish I could, but if I do, Luke is gonna kick my ass." "He's gonna be going here next year. He's good." "Has he enrolled?" "He's about to." I spoke up. "Annabeth, it's ok. You can introduce me to your friends later." "No, Nico is gonna let us through, because Luke won't do anything. I'll talk to him." He gestured her in. "You can go and talk to Luke, but he has to stay here." She sighed. "Fine. I'll be right back." She went in, leaving me with Nico.

We kind of stood there for a few seconds. He did an awkward grin sort-of-thing. "Hey there, uh, I never caught your name." "It's Percy. Percy Jackson." I held out my hand. He smiled (genuinely) and took it. "Nico di Angelo. I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm just scared of what Luke would do." "Oh, it's fine. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." He looked down and half-smiled. "Thanks." There was that awkward silence again. "So what year are you?" He looked up. "I'm going into sophomore year." "Oh, cool." "Yeah." He took a breath. "What year are you going into?" "I'm gonna be a junior." He smiled. "Cool." Thank God Annabeth came in just then. I don't know if I could keep that going. Luke came striding in behind her.

"Nico, what are you doing?" Nico stood at attention, obviously intimidated. "I'm just following orders." I felt sorry for Nico. Luke was a jerk, except to Annabeth. He was just the sweetest boyfriend ever to her. "Percy is good. Let him through." "Yes sir." Nico said quickly. He shot me a scared smile and gestured me in. Luke smiled and started to walk away. As I walked past, I heard Nico muttering angrily. "Bye Nico," I said, trying to brighten that gloomy disposition. He shot me a smile. "Bye Percy. I'll see you around." "Yeah," I said. I felt so bad for Nico. I ran up to catch up with Luke and Annabeth.

I came up to the side of Annabeth and asked her "What's his deal?" "Who do you mean? Nico?" "Yeah," "His sister died when he was ten. She was crushed by a metal beam. He's never recovered." That just made me feel worse. "What about his other family. You know; like his parents, or other siblings?" Luke laughed. Annabeth gave him a look. She continued. "He never met his dad, and his mother left him and his sister the year before his sister died." "Holy crap." "Yeah, he's severely depressed." Luke snorted. What a pig.

Annabeth punched him in the arm. "What's so funny?" He looked at Annabeth, "You feel bad for that loser. His mom might not have left him if he wasn't so annoying. You know what I heard? I heard his sister was leaving him too when she died." "What the hell's your problem, Luke? He was left completely on his own when he was ten." "Whatever Annabeth; I can't feel sorry for him." "Why not?" "He's- well- You know," "What is he Luke?" "He's gay." "Christ Luke, that doesn't mean anything. Just because he's gay doesn't mean anything. His life is tragic. Plus, he's not gay, he's bi." "Yeah whatever," Luke said, rolling his eyes. I stood back, realizing why Nico had acted the way he did. Yet, I can't get Annabeth to like me.

Inside the warehouse, there was a bunch of kids, all high school aged, spread out around the seemingly endless rows of storage. I assumed this was the party, but we kept on walking through. Music was getting gradually louder. Eventually, we came to the end of the room. There was a single door. "Welcome to the party Percy. This is where the magic happens." Luke opened the door, and I was stunned. The room wasn't much smaller than the first room, but it was stuffed with kids. The room was dark, so that you could just make out the faces of your group, like a club. Annabeth and Luke led me through to about the middle of the floor, where I saw a short Latino kid acting like a total spaz.

"Leo, what are you doing?" Annabeth asked, laughing. The kid, Leo, came up to her. "Why do you wanna know, babe? Wanna get a piece of this action?" he said, thrusting at her, in a way that made it obvious he was joking. Another kid came out of the crowd. He was tall and tanned, with a clean haircut. A seriously beautiful, Native American girl was on his arm. He looked like the military poster child. "Who is this guy, Annabeth?" he asked. "Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Piper McClain, meet Percy Jackson. He's gonna be going to school with us." Jason, obviously the leader of the group, stuck out his hand. "How's it going?"

I studied him for a second. If there's anything private school taught me, it's that you have to choose your friends wisely. Some people will walk all over you. He looked ok by me, and Annabeth trusted him. I shook his hand. Leo was back to going crazy on the dance floor. That kid was seriously ADHD, even compared to me. A voice came out from the crowd. "God, Leo, you are an idiot." Out walked another couple, a young-looking Asian guy and a pretty black girl. "Yeah, whatever Frank." Leo said, sticking his tongue out. Jason smiled and introduced me. "Percy Jackson, this is Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque." I smiled. "Hey," I waved to them.

The party was awesome. The group accepted me pretty quickly. Within five minutes we all joined Leo, acting like idiots on the dance floor. None of us really cared, though. It wasn't called a party for nothing. I didn't want the night to end, so naturally time flew by. I should have kept track of time. Of course, I didn't. The only one who knew about my curfew was Annabeth, who was too busy with Luke to look at the time. That is, until she got a text message from a Silena Beauregard… at 12:15. "Shit," she exclaimed. She ran up to in a frantic fashion. "Percy, we have to go." I stopped dancing. "What's wrong?" "It's past midnight!" My eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I just looked at the time. I'm so sorry." I hurried my goodbyes to the group, and then we ran out of the warehouse. We ran faster than I thought possible. It wasn't fast enough.

Gabe stood at the door waiting. My mom's car was parked in the driveway. Shit. I was dead meat. Gabe looked like he had just won the lottery. He had a reason now to beat me to a pulp. My heart stopped. "Your mother and I have been very worried about you. Thank you, Annabeth, for bringing him home." Annabeth looked at me. "Go on home girl." Gabe said. "Percy-" I stopped her. "I'll be fine Annabeth. You can go back." She stood there for a moment. "You heard him." Gabe said with his sick little smile. She looked at me again. I couldn't take it. She knew what was going to happen. "Just go." I told her quietly.

"Bye Percy." She said. She sounded as scared as I was. I tried a reassuring smile, if only for myself. "Bye Annabeth." I said as I walked into my impending doom. The door shut behind me, and I found myself face to face with Satin, aka Gabe Ugliano. "Well what do we have here?" he asked advancing on me. As I backed up, I realized that only one thing could save me. I took a gigantic breath. "Mom!" I yelled as loud as I could. That's when the first hit came, right into my gut. With that, all my energy and breath was gone. I doubled over, gasping. Gabe started laughing manically. "You really think your mom's gonna save you?" I was too drained to say a word. The guy could swing. He proved that again, this time to my face. Before I knew it, I was on the ground. He laughed even harder. I looked up at him, knowing that this was just the beginning. I was right. All I remember thinking for the twenty-minute beating was "God, I hope I live to see that damn school."

To be continued...

I hope you enjoyed. Sorry for introducing a bit of Perico. Don't worry, the story will always be mainly Percabeth. See you next time. Make good choices. Peace!


	5. Chapter 5: New School

Hello fellow Fanfiction-ers. So a lot of you told me to name the school Goode. However, that's extremely cliché, so I'm not gonna use that. I'm really sorry it took so long to get this out. I'm getting really overwhelmed by school and such. I'm trying my hardest to get these chapters out. Reviews are helpful. Hope you enjoy! All rights go to Rick.

The Side Window

Chapter 5: New School

Percy's POV:

"Percy! It's time to wake up." My mom called up the stairs. "You don't want to be late for your new school." I woke up to find Annabeth at her window, smiling at me. I started smiling back; until I realized that I wasn't decent under the covers (It was hot that night). "Great" I thought. I tried to sign for her to turn around and she did. I got up and closed the blinds. I sighed. Summer was over, and I was off to a new school. Hooray! At least I liked this school, and Annabeth was there. I got a towel and wrapped it around my waist, and then I opened the blinds back up. Annabeth was still there. She laughed a bit and opened her window. "Maybe you should get ready before we talk." She said, indicating to my towel. My face was probably a dark red. "Yeah, sounds like a plan." She closed her window and walked away.

Getting into school routine was weird. The last time I got ready from home was like kindergarten. After I took a shower and got dressed, I went back to my window. Annabeth was waiting at her bed, and we talked for a few minutes, until my mom called me downstairs. We had already made an arrangement with Mr. Chase that he could bring me to school. Did I mention, I don't even have my learners permit yet. Honestly, it's embarrassing. Mom always said that I could when we had time, but Gabe has made it clear that it was not gonna happen. I really hate that guy. Anyway, I went outside to meet the Chase's and we went off to school. My mom and Gabe watched me going off. Gabe had a crazy look in his eyes.

In the car, we talked a lot more. A dream that I had eventually came up. It was really weird. Annabeth and I were stuck in a pit with monsters, fighting for our lives. Both of us had glowing blades, and when we killed the monsters, they disintegrated. The only problem was that they just reappeared after we killed them. We looked like we had been keeping this up for a really long time, when suddenly, these gigantic doors opened. On the other side, was Nico. And Leo was there, and Hazel, and Jason, and Piper, and Frank. (And you were there, and you were there.) She laughed at me.

The school, Meriwether Prep, was about twelve minutes from my house. We didn't have a dress code (thank God). The day went by pretty well (for a first day). I ran into Nico in the hallways again. I think he's calmed down sense the whole warehouse incident. He's actually really cool. I don't know why Luke hates him so much. Oh well. There was one girl that I couldn't stand, Clarisse LaRue. She was seriously the rudest person ever. Obviously she was gonna be a problem.

Jason and I have become pretty good friends. Even with his gung-ho attitude towards everything, he's cool. Leo is a lovable dork. That's literally the only possible way to explain him. Frank was cool, until he tries to impress Hazel. Then he fails miserably. Hazel is the nicest person. She is just so genuine. I can't really say the same for Piper, who can be kind of manipulative. She was nice most of the time, but if she wanted anything, she basically had it. Luke, as I said before, was an ass. I have no clue what Annabeth sees in him. Rounding our little group up was Nico, who popped in every now and again, much to Luke's annoyance. I hope the others hate Luke as much as I do.

So this was my life. I was just starting my junior year of school. I was completely in love with a girl, who was in love with someone else. My step-father was a disgusting human being, and my mother never gave me a second look. I had never completed a whole year in the same school. How, you may ask, could it get any worse? I was thinking the same thing at the time. How could I have known what was going to happen within the next week? My life was about to be flipped upside down, and I was completely oblivious. A chain of events was about to unfold, starting that very day, right after school.

To be continued…

I hope you all enjoyed. Sorry it was so short, but the next chapter should be longer. Keep those reviews coming. See you next time. Peace!


	6. Chapter 6: Help From My Friends

Hello writers and readers. I can't apologize enough for last time. It took way longer than it should have. As always, the rights all go to Rick. And now the moment you've all been waiting for.

The Side Window

Chapter 6: With a Little Help From My Friends

Percy POV:

The spiral began innocently enough. I was on my way out of the door. I wasn't really paying much attention. Imagine my surprise when Nico, also not really paying attention, rounded a corner, right into me. We both fell down. His books flew out of his hands. "Oh, God Percy, I'm so sorry." He said as he scrambled to pick up the papers that had gone everywhere. I got up. "It's my fault." I said, trying to help him. That's when it happened.

The night before, Gabe did some of his favorite activities; drinking, sex, and beating the crap out of me. It wasn't the worst it's ever been, but it was noticeable on my arms. I wore a sweater that day to cover it up. Unfortunately, when I went to help Nico with his stuff, one of the sleeves came up. His eyes widened when he saw the bruises. "What are those?" he asked. I was caught. How was I supposed to answer him? I sure as hell couldn't tell him about Gabe.

I decided, in a moment of pure stupidity, to use the lamest explanation ever. "Oh, it's nothing." Thinking back to it, I want to just punch myself in the face. There were a million excuses I could've used. Instead, I tried to avoid the subject. Obviously, he saw right past it. "Tell me." His voice quaked. The way he said it, like he was heartbroken that I wouldn't tell him, just crushed me. He should know, right? So, I made my first of many mistakes. I told him everything about Gabe. Of course, he told me that something needed to be done. He offered to help me learn to "defend myself." Apparently, he was a black belt in some sort of martial art. Time for mistake numero dos. I accepted his offer. I told him that I'd come over his house to learn. I waved goodbye and ran off to catch up to the Chase's.

That day, right after I got home, I headed off to Nico's house, which wasn't even much of a house. More like a freaking mansion. When I asked, he explained that his dad left a substantial amount of money when he died. Their mom didn't take it when she left. Now he lived there by himself. I asked why he didn't have a foster parent or something. He shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't care. Just as long as I'm not in that system, I'll be happy." I couldn't believe that. He had to be lonely.

Nico was good. He really knew his stuff, which made me wonder why he was so afraid of Luke. Nico could take him any day. He was also, lucky for me, a great teacher. In the first lesson, he taught me from proper stance, to basic disarming techniques. I now knew how to defend myself from Gabe, finally. "Thank you so much for the lesson, Nico." He smiled. "It's no problem, Percy." "See you later then?" I asked. "Yeah. Bye." He said.

The next day, I was the happiest I had ever been. The next time Gabe even tried anything, I would be ready. Not only that, but Annabeth and Luke got into a huge fight. I thought it was my fault, because from what I heard, it concerned Nico. I know I shouldn't have been happy about it, but maybe they would finally break up. I could finally be with her. After school, I went over Nico's again, and learned some more self-defense. That's when things started getting bad.

Nico's POV:

It was great being with Percy. I know he noticed how I felt about him the first day I met him. I went home that night and basically died. I was so embarrassed. The next few times I saw Percy, I tried to play it cool. Maybe, I thought, he would look that disgrace of a first meeting. I think it worked. He wasn't uncomfortable around me anymore. I knew he would never like me like that, but I was hopeful. No, hopeful isn't the word. It was too blind to be called hopeful.

I have a little confession. When I bumped into him in the hallway, it wasn't an accident. I was (how do I say it without sounding like a stalker?) watching for him in the hallway. When He was about to walk out, I knew that was my last opportunity to talk to him. It was never supposed to be such an epic crash, though. That wasn't expected. That's when I saw the bruises. As much as I wanted to ignore them, I had to ask. When he told me about his step-father, Gabe, I had to help. There was only one thing I could've done. I asked him if I could help him defend himself. You have no idea how happy I was when he said yes.

He was picking it up rather fast. I was running out of things to show him. I decided to show me this takedown, where you took out their legs and landed on top of them. I tried to explain it to him, but he was totally lost. So, I decided to show him. "Ok," he said. I went slowly the first time. I grabbed him by the shoulders. I swept out his foot and pushed on his opposite shoulder. He went down hard, even without me putting any force into it. "Do you get it?" I asked. "I think so, but let's try it full speed just to make sure." I nodded. I picked him up. "Are you ready?" I asked. He nodded. I took him down. My arm held him down, and then disaster struck. My heart started beating at a million miles per hour. I gave in to my instincts. I leaned my head in.

I kissed him, and it was the best moment of my life. It was followed immediately by the worst. When I pulled out and opened my eyes, I saw his face. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but his face broke my heart. It was a mixture of surprise, sadness, and disgust. "Oh my god" I whispered. "I'm so sorry." I felt my stomach churning. My vision started to blur when the tears welled up. I blinked them back. It felt like my heart had been ripped out. He staggered up, while I sunk against the wall. Streaks of burning hot tears cascaded down my face. He just stood there, not knowing what to do. At last, he stammered out my name. "Nico." My hand brushed some of the tears away, but my face was still soaked. I started spluttering "I shouldn't have- I was- I'm so sorry. It shouldn't have-" He stopped me. "It's ok." I knew he was lying. His face was completely see-through. "I'm not mad." He stood there for a while, watching my pain. After he got the message that he wasn't gonna make this better, he left. And I was alone again.

To be continued…

I hope you all enjoyed it. For all the Percico haters, I'm sorry. It's gonna help with the rest of the story. Come on with those reviews (yes even hate reviews). Make good decisions. Peace!


	7. Chapter 7: (Never) Too Late

Hello again. So, last time was a lot of Percico. Now it's time for Percabeth. All rights go to Rick. Enjoy!

The Side Window

Chapter 7: (Never) Too Late

Percy's POV:

I didn't know what to do. When he kissed me, I panicked. I never meant to hurt him. But then again, I never thought he'd do that. Seeing him sink to the ground, in pure agony, was truly horrifying. I knew that feeling. That was what I felt every time Gabe hit me. That was what Nico was trying to help me with. What was I supposed to do? Even so, I shouldn't have left him. Looking back, I realize that. But I was running on pure instinct and adrenaline. And so, I did what any irrational teenager would do. God I'm an idiot.

I burst in my room. Gabe gave me nothing as I stormed past him. I opened up my window and stared into Annabeth's room. There she was, crying her eyes out. I wanted to know what happened, but I figured that could wait. I knocked on her window. She looked and saw me point to my roof. She wiped away the tears and came up. As soon as she got to the roof, two words vomited out of my mouth. "Kiss me." Those two words were the dumbest, most impulsive, all together the worst two words in the English language. And yet, somehow they worked. She wrapped her hand around my neck, and pulled me in.

I didn't stop her. When we kissed, it was like everything that had gone wrong all these years just disappeared. I'll admit that I melted a bit. I remember never wanting that moment to end. I forgot all about Nico, and Gabe, and every other problem in my life. When our lips separated, I noticed she was still crying. "What's wrong?" I asked. She gulped. "Luke and I broke up today." I tried to feel bad for her. She had been with him for years. But I just couldn't. I know, call me selfish, but she was finally single. I could finally be with her. The night went by as we sat there, in each other's company. When it was time to say goodnight, I asked another reckless, idiotic question. "So, what exactly are we?" She looked at me for a second. I think she had been thinking the same thing. "Let's just say we're going out."

Her window closed, and my face lit up. I had done it. She was mine. I had won the affections of the girl that I had loved for years. I collapsed into my bed and thought about that day. The smile faded. I realized that Nico might still be crying. He was miserable and I was the happiest I had ever been. How selfish was that? But I just sent that thought away. I would talk to him the next day. He would understand. Started to think about Annabeth some more. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I woke up the next day like nothing had happened. I got up, took a shower, got dressed, and went to school with Annabeth. This was my average routine. The only difference was the ride to school. We held hands (I know, it's a lame couple thing, but it made me happy.) all the way there. We walked out, but she let go. "I'll see you later, then?" I sighed. Was she embarrassed by me? No, I told myself. She just hadn't told anyone yet. It's fine.

As I was walking to class, I remembered Nico. I still needed to talk to him. I needed to apologize. Leo walked by and I stopped him. "Have you seen Nico around? I need to talk to him." "No man. I haven't. If I see him I'll tell him, though." "OK, cool." I asked a few more people, but they hadn't seen Nico either. "Weird," I thought, "I guess he's not in school today." I texted him and told him that we needed to talk. I got nothing back. I didn't worry about it too much. He probably just didn't want to text me during school. Or maybe he just didn't want to talk. I couldn't blame him. After what happened the night before, I wouldn't answer me either.

School dragged on for an eternity. I decided to call Nico's house when we got out. I swear to you, it took WAY longer than usual. At least I spent some of that time with Annabeth. When we finally got out, I went out to a quiet place in the courtyard to call Nico. The phone rang, and rang, and rang some more. Why wasn't he picking up? Was he that mad? It went into voicemail. I hung up and called again. The phone rang into voicemail again. I left a message, telling him I needed to talk to him, and headed home. I went up to my room and waited for him to call me back. He didn't. Annabeth didn't come up to her rom either. I decided to go over. He couldn't ignore me if I went to him.

I could feel that something was wrong as soon as I got to the door. Something was off. Looking back, I still can't put my finger on what it was. I knocked at the door. No answer. I knocked harder, still no answer. "Nico! Come out her right now. We need to talk." I yelled. Still, there was no answer. I grabbed the door handle, it was unlocked. Nico never left the door unlocked. I burst inside, calling his name. I ran downstairs. He wasn't there. I went upstairs. Which room was his? I started going into all of the rooms. I never stopped screaming his name. At last, I came to a single, locked door. This had to be it.

"Nico! Open up the door. I just want to talk." His voice came trembling back. "Go away, Percy." "Nico, open the door." "I'm sorry Percy." "Nico, just open the door. We can talk about this. Open the door." "Goodbye Percy. I'm so sorry." I started screaming his name again. No answer. I started pounding the door. After a few seconds, I decided to kick in the door. It took three tries, but it finally came open. As I ran in, a stool was thrown across the room. Right in the center of the room, was Nico Di Angelo, a noose around his neck. His body swayed back and forth.  
To be continued…

I hope you enjoyed. I'm gonna get the next one out as fast as possible. Make good decisions. Peace!


	8. Chapter 8- Savior

Hello people. If there is one thing you should know, it's that there is always hope in my stories. I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the characters. All of that goes to Rick. Enjoy.

The Side Window

Chapter 8: Savior

I almost blew chunks right there. I remember thinking, "There has to be something I can do." That's when I saw the knife. I had a feeling that wasn't there to save him. The drops of blood dripping down his arm confirmed it. I ran over and grabbed the blood red knife and the stool and went over to Nico. I wasted no time cutting him down. I was determined. He was going to live. I couldn't let him die. I dialed 911 and started CPR. The ambulance came pretty quickly and took over. How could Nico do this to himself? I went off to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. I cleaned myself off and ran to the waiting ambulance. They let me ride with him. I didn't say a word until we got to the hospital. Then, as they were taking him in, I called out to one of the doctors. "Is he going to be ok?" It was a dumb question, I know. Of course he wasn't. The doctor turned to me and said "We're gonna try our damned hardest."

I sat waiting for a while. Then I called Annabeth. She would want to know. She hurried over, and waited with me. After what seemed like an eternity, a doctor came out to us. "I've got some good news, and some bad news." That was encouraging "Nico's going to live." I let out a sigh of relief. "But, he injured one of his vertebrae with the noose. He's not going to be able to do a lot now." I gulped. "Like, how much are we talking here?" He looked down. "He will be able to do basic functions. Walking, eating, writing, etc. Anything more than that, though, is gonna be difficult for him." Annabeth was sobbing. I put her head into my shoulder, and let her cry into me. The doctor looked at us. "He might regain his motor skills with physical therapy." I turned and smiled. "Thank you." The doctor smiled back. "Just doing my job, son." He started to walk away. "Doctor," I called out to him. "Yes." "Can we- you know- see him?" He nodded. "You might not like what you see."

He was right. Nico's arm looked like a bloody mummy. He had a neck brace and was using a breathing machine. He was awake though. "Hey Nico." He turned and saw us. He smiled one of my smiles. The ones that meant I was miserable. "You know," he squeaked out, "when a person hangs himself, usually he doesn't survive." There was an awkward silence. "Maybe I'm a ghost." I looked at him. "If you're a ghost, you're the freaking Ghost King." He smiled. "Look, Percy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" then he saw Annabeth. "You know. I shouldn't have done what I did." I looked over to Annabeth. "Could we have a little time alone?" "Ok." She said.

He looked like hell. "Why'd you do this Nico?" I asked. He looked at me with pain. Any happiness that he had was gone. "How bad is it gonna be when I get back?" "What do you mean?" He sighed. "How bad are people gonna be? About me kissing you?" My head tilted. "I didn't tell anybody." A little flash of hope went through his eyes. "Not even Annabeth?" "Not even her. Why would I?" He turned away. I could even see that he didn't want to talk anymore. "You never answered my question." His only response was silence. "Alright then," I said as I walked out. "I'll see you later then." I never did see him again.

The next few days, a sense of dread was in the air. Everyone was so shocked by what happened. Even Luke looked sad. Nobody expected Nico would attempt suicide. I don't think I saw a smile for the next three days. Well, actually, Leo tried to cheer us up with one of his jokes. I think Hazel might have cracked a smile, but Jason told him to shut it. He stayed silent the rest of the day. Three days later, Annabeth told the group about her and me dating. I think she was trying to lighten the mood too. Nobody really cared though. Our minds were elsewhere. That day was the best day after Nico's attempt. That is, until I went home.

Mr. Chase drove me home, as usual. I told him that I'd see him the next day. I was wrong. He waved to me as I walked into my door, unaware of what fate had in store for me. The door slammed behind me. Who else would be standing there, just to wreck any good feeling I'd had all day. Gabe Ugliano had a way with sucking the positive energy out of a room. The overwhelming smell of alcohol didn't exactly help. I knew what was about to happen. I was ready.

I tried to walk past him. Nico told me to try to avoid a fight that wasn't necessary. "Where do you think you're going?" He spat at me. I gave him a stare, one that said don't mess with me. He laughed. "Tough guy now?" I couldn't help myself. "Why don't you just screw of?" I seethed. God it felt good to say that. He advanced on me. I wanted to throw a punch, but I was gonna follow Nico's advice. "Maybe," he fumed, "you need a little lesson in respect, punk."

He tossed a reckless punch. It would've hit me, if it wasn't for Nico's lessons. I ducked down, just barely avoiding it. He went for a knee to the face. I blocked it. He laughed. "Is this what you're little boyfriend's been teaching you?" That struck a chord. He wasn't going to insult Nico like that. I buried my fist into his gut. He staggered back, almost in a mocking way. "I guess little man wants to fight with the big guns." He teased. He threw a punch straight at my head. I blocked. He threw some more, never missing a beat. I blocked a few, but one inevitably hit me. That's all it took for me to see stars. He was strong. What had Nico said about that? Oh yeah, use speed. I threw a few punches and kicks. They all hit him, but they didn't do much. How was I gonna do this. I would tire out soon. Then I remembered the takedown. It was my only real hope. First I had to get close.

It wasn't as hard as I thought I'd be. He was taking his time, pacing me out. A few blocked punches, and I was close enough. I grabbed his shoulders, swept his leg out, and pushed him down. Oh, how the mighty fall. He wasn't expecting it. I had complete control over him in a few seconds. It was great. Then I thought about what happened in Nico's basement. I don't know why I backed off. I didn't even come off too far, but that was all he needed. He tossed me off like a rag doll. I bumped my head against something, a desk maybe. I stayed down. The back of my head felt wet. I reached back, and saw blood. Gabe laughed, "Good show, boy, but it's over now." I tried to crawl out of the way. He kicked me in the gut. I stumbled into the kitchen. "Nowhere you can run now." He mused.

I used a counter to stumble to my feet. If I was gonna go down, I was gonna go down fighting. He smacked me and laughed. "Why don't you just give up?" He hit me a few more times. It was taking a lot just to stand. Everything was getting blurry. My eyes happened upon a knife on the table in front of me. My instincts took over as I grabbed the knife. I don't really know what happened next. My memory of it is gone from the concussion. The next thing I remember was standing there, in a puddle of blood, overtop of Gabe's mutilated corpse. There was blood everywhere, and I didn't know where his ended and mine began. I barfed into the sink. I went up to my bathroom, and washed myself off. I puked again in the process. My breathing went back to normal. I guess it hadn't quite hit me that I just killed someone. I went up to my room.

Annabeth was there, across the way. I don't think she knew about what just happened. I hoped it would stay that way. I went over and knocked on her window. She opened it and I kissed her. I kissed her over, and over, and over. Her fingers went through my hair, but I had washed out all the blood. Nothing was going to stand between us. Not anymore. I crossed into her room, never taking my lips from hers. The rest of the night, we spent in heaven. We slept in peace, together. It was amazing, until we heard the sirens wail.

And that's when I was arrested. That's why I'm sitting here, in a cell. I'm awaiting my trail date tomorrow. I haven't seen anyone, except my mother, since the incident. I don't know what the rest of my friends think of me now. Do they think of me as a murderer, or as a victim? I don't want to be seen as either, honestly. But that has crossed my mind while I wait. I know I killed him. That's settled its way into my mind. I hope, though, that my sentence won't be too bad. Maybe I'll even get a self-defense plea. That's what my attorney is going for. I guess my mom is on my side. I couldn't really tell when she visited. She just seemed sad, but she thanked me for doing it. Anyway, all of that is really just an afterthought. Most of the time, I'm thinking of Annabeth. I'm thinking about how I had finally gotten with her. Even if now she hated me, I'll always know that somewhere down there, she loves me too. And that, my friend, is a happy ending to me.

The End

So that's it. Thank you all for all the support. I don't really know what my next story will be. I hope to see you all there. So for the last time in this story, make good choices. Peace!


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